Optimizing the Potential of Your Property Website: How to Convert Millennial Prospects into Good Deals

Shirley Lowe
By
October 8, 2018 ·

The Real Estate industry is quite old and, let’s face it, when it comes to online platforms, this is the hardest niche to work in.

Even though there are some ‘dinosaurs’ that hold the market by the guts, we regularly see new companies like Airbnb shaking up the status quo.

To be able to take a bigger bite out of this huge market, you need to work on your online presence and by association, conversion optimization.

While your brand is still young and developing, you need to maximize your efforts in bringing real renters to your website and giving them

But do you know what the young generation of renters are really seeking? They’re known as Millennials, and it’s time to take a look at what this generation has under the hood and what motivates their search for a new home.

All that’s well and good!

You may wonder why you should even care about CRO.

Well conversion rate optimization is the art of getting “more” out of your visitors. And this is a nifty trick that all businesses should master – not just eCommerce websites.

If you are a website showcasing properties for sale or for rent, or if you are an individual with a number of building parcels that you lease for income, CRO makes a lot of sense. CRO can actually help you turn incoming site visitors into loyal clients and buyers.

And the process starts with knowing your buyer persona.

Let’s Talk Millennials: They Think Differently

It sounds like just by saying this we’ve all turned 60, but let’s face it – millennials have a different set of values in their life. They think differently and they approach decisions like not all of us would.

First of all, millennials made a dramatic change to the real estate market in recent years. According to the latest statistics, this generation prefers to rent rather than buy. So it’s a great time to develop a new rental platform, cause the audience is enormous.

When millennials go apartment hunting and choose a platform, they look at the following things:

  • What platforms their friends prefer
  • They review the social media activity of the brand
  • They value their free time, so they prefer the best user experience
  • They fall for a clean and pleasant design
  • Their digital security is their top priority
  • Your customer service approach must ‘wow’ them

The new generation of renters no longer tolerates old-school platforms that do not grab their attention right away. Now you need to guide those guys through the whole renting process and follow him on each step to convert this interaction into the deal.

Make The Application Process Easier

Young renters hate complications, this is the reason why the minimalist design is so popular nowadays, and that’s also the reason why UI/UX designers are so influential in any project. Real estate websites see a huge abandonment rate when it comes to the application process. There is nothing more discouraging than finding yourself in a situation when you have to deal with a few levels of bureaucracy.

Ideally, the application process should take a few minutes from the moment your clients click the button ‘Apply’ and to the final step of payment option verification.

Some companies prefer to request additional information later, cause the main idea is to capture the client’s phone number or make him sign up. You can make the sign up process as short as possible, and once you’ve got him to become a member of your website community, you can request more information from him. Annoying verifications that take up to fifteen minutes can scare people away.

Design And Usability Are Key

Content is still the king and it still means a lot what your platform has under the hood. However, the design and usability make more and more difference today. Anyone who comes to your website for the first time will evaluate how serious your platform is by taking a look at your design and how easy it is to interact with your services.

When we talk about the real estate industry, there are a few great examples that you must look up to.  These people knew their score and proved how relevant the design is for good conversion rates and platform popularity.

When they started, they were not even close to being a pioneer in this industry, but they found the way to convert their visitors to clients fast. Their innovative design and easiness of use captured the hearts of travelers that enjoyed the renting in a few clicks with the fastest checkout process in the industry.

Of course, you should remember that another good thing they offered was good pricing. Airbnb made traveling cheaper taking the crown from the luxury hotels and expensive hostels.

These guys managed to enter the market and start to compete with companies like Zillow and Trulia right away. They take design and usability very serious and offer clients the fastest renting experience. You can sign up in a few steps, apply in two clicks and enjoy amazing illustrations and designs at the same time.

Rentberry grabs the client’s attention and offers them to list or find an apartment right away. Neighborhood reviews, amenities filters, and other features pop up right when the client needs them. This helps them convert their visitors to real customers that come back use the platform again further.

Pupil team offers an all-in-one solution for property managers. They offer the services of professional photographers; they create spec floor plans, VR, and 360 clips. This is about bringing value to the client and they deliver the experience everyone is looking nowadays. Technologies can really disrupt the real estate market and help you drive more clients to your platform. Having this type of content is very valuable.

Reach Out To Young Renters Through Social Media And Media Publications

When you figured out how to convert the visitors to clients on your website, you’ve got to work on your content marketing. In order to drive more traffic to your platform, you’ve got to spread the word about it.

The best way to do that is maximizing your social media activity and pitching more publications to media, magazines and private blogs.

Deliver valuable content on real estate topics and mention your platform in the post, this will help you get more traffic with potential clients coming to you. All you can do next is work with them on your end.

Establish New Partnerships To Improve Lead Generation

Driving traffic to your website is easier when you have a few powerful friends with a stable user flow. You can contact these companies and discuss a partnership to lead their users towards your product.

The scheme is quite easy, actually, you can just share the properties lists you’ve got with another company and ask them to leave a link to your website in the description of each exclusive property from your website. Whenever renters stumble upon your properties, they will be redirected to your platform and you’ll get a chance to convert this visit to a good deal. To do that you should remember all the tips we’ve discussed earlier in this article.

Otherwise, you’ll just lose the time and money.

Wrapping Things up: Make Saying “Yes” Easy

You can up your conversion rate game today by simply working on your website features. Deliver good design, useful features and the best user experience. These are the keys you’ll need to attract young renters and make them love your website.

Basically, when you work with millennials it’s all about offering them valuable data and a wide range of opportunities to rent a place right here and right now. Use your technologies and marketing knowledge to fix your conversion rates and make your brand rise above your competitors.

You must remember that the conversion rate optimization is not just about numbers, it’s about successful interaction with your clients. Your main goal here is to make every customer happy and grab their attention faster than anyone else around by offering a setting where saying “yes” to stuff is that much easier.

99 Conversion Tips
99 Conversion Tips
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Originally published October 08, 2018 - Updated January 12, 2022
Written By
Shirley Lowe
Shirley Lowe
Shirley Lowe
Shirley Lowe is a successful content creator and real estate industry specialist from San Jose, CA.

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